Share
Visalia Times Delta
Visalia Unified School Board President John Crabtree questioned the benefit of face masks to combat COVID-19 on Tuesday, claiming they don’t prevent “hundreds of thousands” of annual deaths from tuberculosis.
“There are hundreds of thousands of people who die from tuberculosis every year, and yet we don’t wear masks in order to prevent us from getting tuberculosis,” Crabtree said at the district’s public board meeting.
Crabtree’s comments troubled many Visalia residents watching the virtual meeting from home, according to social media posts. Residents worried about the health implications of Crabtree’s statement while others questioned its veracity.
“The psychological damage that has been done to the kids,” he added, “to deal with that far outweighs the (COVID-19) threat we are seeing … with not getting them back to school.”
The numbers Crabtree shared are misleading. About 542 Americans died from tuberculosis in 2018, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which indicated this data was the most recent.
So far, more than 241,000 Americans have died of COVID-19-related complications since the start of the pandemic in March.
By Kristan Obeng | November 11, 2020
RELATED TOPICS:
Fresno County Repeat DUI Offender Sentenced to 15 Years to Life for Deadly Crash
15 hours ago
Venezuelan Little League Team Denied Entry to US Over Travel Ban
15 hours ago
Fresno Seals Deal with Police Union. No Deal Yet With Firefighters.
15 hours ago
North Korea Says Trump Must Accept New Nuclear Reality
15 hours ago
Fresno Home Suffers Major Damage in Saturday Night Fire, Family Cat Rescued
17 hours ago
Senator to Unveil Aviation Safety Bill on Eve of Fatal Crash Hearing
17 hours ago
Fox Business News Host Throws Shade at Merced Over High-Speed Rail
17 hours ago
Trump Says He Turned Down Invitation to Epstein’s Island
18 hours ago
Two Arrested in Dollar General Burglary in Fowler, Third Suspect at Large
13 hours ago
Categories

Two Arrested in Dollar General Burglary in Fowler, Third Suspect at Large

New York City Mayor Says ‘Active Shooter’ Incident Taking Place in Manhattan

Shooting Outside Casino in Reno, Nevada, Leaves 3 Victims Dead, 2 Critically Wounded

Fresno County Repeat DUI Offender Sentenced to 15 Years to Life for Deadly Crash

Venezuelan Little League Team Denied Entry to US Over Travel Ban

Fresno Seals Deal with Police Union. No Deal Yet With Firefighters.
